Stripe Your Stash to Make an Easy Blanket

I have this giant stash busting garter stitch blanket that I’ve been working on (if you can call it that) for probably 15 or 20 years by now. I’m not sure it’s correct to say I’m working on it, because it usually only comes out in the winter when I’m not working on anything else and I want to use it as a blanket while I’m knitting it.

While you are here, check out this Knitted Patchwork Blanket from our sister site.

It’s made of strips of garter stitch, but I’m joining them together as I knit them (by knitting the edge stitch on my needle together with the edge stitch on the previous strip). It’s a satisfying and relatively mindless way to use up scraps, and my goal is that it will one day be 6 feet square (1.8 meters). Hopefully sometime in the next 15 or 20 years!

If you want to make a simple blanket but don’t want to have to lug around the whole thing as you work on it, the striped blanket from The Knitting Squirrel is a great option.

It, too, is made of odd balls and garter stitch, but this one is done in panels that aren’t joined until they are done. (And the way that’s done is pretty clever, too!) This one is done in sock yarn that was made into magic balls before knitting, but you could use whatever yarn you have a lot of and either make the panels narrower or make fewer of them, or just make your blanket whatever size works for you.

Read more about magic balls here if you don’t know what I’m talking about.

My version is worsted weight and alternates between panels of 12 and 24 stitches, so that’s also an option you could try to mix the colors up even more.

Check out the free pattern at The Knitting Squirrel for all the details.

[Photo: The Knitting Squirrel]

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

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